ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ©

THIS TASK will introduce you to some

of Adobe Illustrator’s basic tools, panel groups

and libraries. As we play with line, shape, colour,

texture and pattern, we’ll sample a taste of the

software’s offerings, and create some compositions

suitable for display on a range of digital devices.

First, let’s look at the basics ...

The Selection ToolIN ORDER TO CHANGE the appearance of an object, it must first be selected using the Selection tool, located in the Tools panel. Clicking the mouse while hovering over an area will select the object beneath, and a bounding box will appear. This bounding box indicates that the shape is ready for editing, and transformations such as resizing and rotating can be made. More than one object can be selected at once by holding down the Shift key while clicking the mouse.

The Direct Selection ToolTHE DIRECT SELECTION TOOL ENABLES a specified area to be altered rather than the entire object, and is located in the Tools panel. When using the Direct Selection tool and clicking on an object’s path, anchor points will appear. Dragging these anchor points will enable changes to be made to an object’s shape and appearance.

Making, Filling and Outlining Shapes

Basic shape tools are included in the Tools panel, and are used to create simple geometric forms. More complex shapes are created with the pen tool.

An Introduction to Adobe IllustratorWallpaper graphics for digital devices

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS © ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS

Fill and StrokeIN ILLUSTRATOR, shapes can be filled with colour, surrounded with an outline or left with an outline only. An outline is called a stroke, and can be made thick, thin, dashed or a particular colour using the Stroke panel.

THE FILL AND STROKE BOXES are located at the bottom of the Tools panel. To change the colour inside an object, the Fill box must sit above the Stroke box. To change the outline (or stroke) around an object, the Stroke box must sit above the Fill box.

AN OBJECT’S FILL OR STROKE can be removed by clicking on the None icon, located under Fill and Stroke boxes.

Opacity and TransparencySHAPES CAN BE FILLED with either opaque or transparent colour. A colour’s opacity can be adjusted in the Transparency panel, where other treatments can also be applied.

Pattern SwatchesALTERNATIVELY, SHAPES CAN BE FILLED with custom or ready-made patterns and textures. A selection is available in the Patterns Swatch Library, located in the Window menu. Custom made patterns can be created using various tools and added to the swatches panel.

Clipping masksSHAPES CAN ALSO BE USED as a mask in which to contain an image or pattern. The outline of a shape is positioned over the pattern or image, then both the shape and pattern selected before choosing Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

Drawing linesBASIC LINE TOOLS ARE INCLUDED in the Tools panel, while both straight and curved lines can be made with the Pen tool.

Straight lines are made by clicking then releasing the mouse before moving to another location and clicking then releasing again. A path is drawn and anchor points added each time the mouse is clicked and released.

Smooth, curved lines are created by clicking and holding the mouse down while dragging to created a curved path. Direction handles help to define the shape of the curve.

The Pen and Pencil ToolsALTERNATIVELY, FREEFORM LINES can be drawn using the Pen and Pencil tools. Lines are created with only a Stroke of colour and no Fill.

STYLES AND EFFECTS can be added to lines using:

> a selection of brush libraries located in the Window menu

> exploring the Stylize and Distort & Transform options located in the Effect menu

> exploring the options in the Stroke panel

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ©

Now it’s time to play!

Step 1 Create an artworkEXPLORE THE TOOLS, styles, effects, libraries and panel groups outlined on the previous pages, and arrange your experiments in a scarf-like fashion either down or across your artboard. Overlap some areas to create some added interest.

Step 2 Crop interesting areasMAKE TWO COPIES of your artwork, & crop the most interesting areas into rectangular clipping masks.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: THE BASICS ©

9:52Monday, 28 January 

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Step 3PASTE YOUR CROPPED ARTWORK into a new document that is 1600px (if creating graphics for an ipod or mobile phone) or 4000px (for larger devices) in width and height. Adjust the scale of your artwork so that it fits the height of the artboard. Edit the artboard so that it is completely filled by the artwork (File > Document Setup > Edit Artboards). Save the file.

Step 4 IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP, open the artwork (cropping to the Art Box, and adjusting the image size to a height of 1600 or 4000px). Create a gif by selecting File > Save for Web and Devices.

Step 5YOUR ARTWORKS ARE NOW READY to be used as wallpapers on various digital devises. You can also preview how your design would look applied to the case of a digital devise at gelaskins.com, where your own custom design can be uploaded (but you don’t have to make a purchase).

This image (and the laptop on page 1) was created using a stock image purchased from an online stock image library (this one was found at www.123rf.com) . The iphone was placed into Adobe Illustrator, and the wallpaper graphic (contained in a clipping mask) positioned over the screen. The screen text and icons were also created in Illustrator (the font used on the iphone interface is Helvetica Neue).